The crowd is getting restless, as anticipation rises to catch a glimpse of their ships captain. While the second quatrain does not follow a specific metrical scheme. My Captain!" Poem Analysis: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman Essays The concluding lines of the poem explicate the fact that the sailor has some bad news to share with the awaiting crowd. https://poemanalysis.com/walt-whitman/o-captain-my-captain/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. Crowds gather to greet the ship, bells ring, wreaths and bouquets are offered, but even though the crowds call for the captain, he cannot hear them or share in their celebration, just as Lincoln was unable to greet the reunified nation he had steered through four years of war. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. [30], Whitman's friend Horace Traubel wrote in his book With Walt Whitman in Camden that Whitman read a newspaper article that said "If Walt Whitman had written a volume of My Captains instead of filling a scrapbasket with waste and calling it a book the world would be better off today and Walt Whitman would have some excuse for living. Accessed 2 May 2023. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. My Captain! Dear father! [10] Whitman's poetry was informed by his wartime experience, maturing into reflections on death and youth, the brutality of war, and patriotism. The ship has landed safely in the harbor with its anchor thrown in. It is some dream that on the deck, heart!" The American Civil War is almost over and "the prize we sought is almost won;/the port is almost near" with crowds awaiting the ship's arrival. Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature, Image 2 of Walt Whitman Papers: Literary file; Poetry; O Captain! literary devices serve as a tool to project hidden meanings in the text. [78], In the second and third stanzas, according to Schberlein, Whitman invokes religious imagery, making Lincoln a "messianic figure". The major theme that runs throughout the poem is the death of Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War, which deprived the United States of a great president. In 'O Captain! Juxtaposition is a literary device in which two things are placed alongside each other in order to highlight their differences. Walt Whitman is Americas world poeta latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare. It involves a writer addressing a dead or absent person, an inanimate object, or an idea. One of the more obvious examples of figurative language in this poem is its use of allusion. Here in the poem, Whitman has made a stark contrast between the cheerfulness and mourning in the last stanza when the speaker says exult O shores but I with mournful tread. Although it is an academic lecture, it is written in an accessible style. my Captain! The "Critical Overview" section is particularly comprehensive, including excerpts from the work of several prominent critics. My Captain!" Latest answer posted November 02, 2017 at 11:39:33 AM. More so, he even uses symbolical allusions to drive home a point. Literary Nonsense Concept & Examples | What are Nonsensical Writings? [39] It is written in nine quatrains, organized in three stanzas. Create your account. What are the figures of speech in "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt It alluded to President Abraham Lincolns death in 1865. heart! From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Schberlein compares the imagery of "My Captain" to the Lamentation of Christ, specifically Correggio's 1525 Deposition. For instance When I Heard the Learnd Astronomers uses when 4 times to render a lyrical sound. He uses anaphora constantly as several verses begin with the same word/ phrase. Again, the poet uses synecdoche to represent the entire American audience at large as the poem relates to the death of Abraham Lincoln. O Captain! As students read through stanza by stanza, they will need to identify the figurative meanings behind Whitmans word choices. ), Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery), https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/o-captain--my-captain--by-walt-whitman/extended-metaphor, This Storyboard That activity is part of the lesson plans for, *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. heart!" are a great example of repetition, more specifically it is an Epimone, which it's a type of repetition of a phrase or question aiming to emphasize or to dwell on a point. 11For you bouquets and ribbond wreathsfor you the shores a-crowding. Your email address will not be published. Walt Whitman established his reputation as a poet in the late 1850s to early 1860s with the 1855 release of Leaves of Grass. [71] Meanwhile, the 2004 Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature entry on Whitman suggests that critiques about the poem's rhythm are unfair. [54] "My Captain" is considered uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry,[55][48] and it was praised initially as a departure from his typical style. : "O Captain! [76] Whitman encapsulates grief over Lincoln's death in one individual, the narrator of the poem. Poetry anthologies began to include poetry that was considered more "authentic" to Whitman's poetic style, and, as a result, "My Captain" became less popular. Although the fearful trip ends, bells ring, and the captain is no more to enjoy the victory. Analysis Of The Poem O Captain My Captain | ipl.org The repetition of the word heart is an example of epizeuxis, a literary device in which words are repeated without intervening words between them. This arm beneath your head! The poetic collection continuously was revised to add new poetic pieces from Walt Whitman as a result. "[32] Whitman responded to the article on September 11, 1888, saying: "Damn My Captain[] I'm almost sorry I ever wrote the poem," though he admitted that it "had certain emotional immediate reasons for being". heart! We also have the stark image of the fallen captain on the deck. "What are the figures of speech in "O Captain! My Captain! It helped me pass my exam and the test questions are very similar to the practice quizzes on Study.com. The ship is anchord safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, [49] As an elegy to Lincoln, the English professor Faith Barrett wrote in 2005 that the style makes it "timeless", following in the tradition of elegies like "Lycidas" and "Adonais". Although Sequel to Drum-Taps was first published in early October 1865,[27] the copies were not ready for distribution until December. O Captain! The sailor reminisces about the trip to be extremely arduous yet they crossed the line with a trade-off. O Captain! 14 This arm beneath your head! In the poem o captain my captain what does swaying mass mean? In the right column, write the metaphorical meaning in its historical context. Such kind of repetition of consonant sounds is called Consonance. My Captain!"? Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. My Captain!, is set in the American Civil War (1861- 65), the four-year struggle between two groups - the Northern and the Southern States. This line contains alliteration, or the repetition of consonant sounds, in the words flag and flung. In this case, alliteration both enhances the images of celebrationwhich Whitman contrasts with images of the captain who has fallen cold and deadand reinforces the poems steady rhythm. "O captain! My Captain! [67], Critical opinion of the poem began to shift in the middle of the 20th century. In "O Captain My Captain" by Walt Whitman, the swaying mass refers to people. " is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. My Captain!, Poetry and the Mediation of Value: Whitman on Lincoln, Two Worlds of Mourning: Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincolns Death, Encyclopedia.com Entry on "O Captain! Personification Synecdoche Allusion The whole poem is, in fact, an allusion to the assassination of the American president, Abraham Lincoln. Read the full poem here. [48] In 2003, the author Daniel Aaron wrote that "Death enshrined the Commoner [Lincoln], [and] Whitman placed himself and his work in the reflected limelight". The sailor looks at the fallen comrade and wishes this nightmare was just a dream. Many different literary devices make up figurative language. My Captain!" Explore the figurative language in this poem, which includes metaphor, imagery, apostrophe, synecdoche, and allusion. - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions, Definition and Examples of Literary Terms, Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood, Sonnet 55: Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments, In Memoriam A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII: 27. Commenting on his poetry, he said that the audience of his time appreciated poetry with form, rhyme, and meter, still unfamiliar to the free-verse concept. There is a sense of celebration in 'O Captain! Whitman used very strong figurative language throughout the poem to express his respect and to mourn the loss of Abraham Lincoln. The ship has faced every storm, and they have won the prize. Walt Whitman. The central figure of speech which it is important to be aware of is the extended metaphor that runs through the whole poem. My Captain! was authored by famous American poet Walt Whitman. Epstein considers it to have been one of the ten most popular English language poems of the 20th century. For Whitman, the praise was redundant by all means. "O Captain! O the bleeding drops of red,[a] [28] The first publication of the poem had different punctuation than Whitman intended, and he corrected before its next publication. The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting. Assonance: You would also observe the repetition of the vowel sound in the /i/ in the words trip and ship in the first and second lines. [75], "My Captain" begins by describing Lincoln as the captain of the nation. eNotes Editorial, 28 May 2017, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-figures-speech-o-captain-my-captain-249517. After Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945, actor Charles Laughton read "O Captain! Here, the ship is a symbol of the civil war fought for liberating the slaves. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom. In the metaphor, the captain is Lincoln, the voyage is the war and the ship is the United States. All of these lines refer to the Unions victory. [34][35][36][29] In the late 1880s, Whitman earned money by selling autographed copies of "My Captain"purchasers included John Hay, Charles Aldrich, and S. Weir Mitchell. With every success, comes a Loss. dear father! O Captain! This website helped me pass! [47] William Pannapacker, a literature professor, similarly described the poem in 2004 as a "calculated critical and commercial success". [23][40] Winwar describes the "roused voice of the people, incredulous at first, then tragically convinced that their Captain lay fallen". The captain fails to respond to his cries of helplessness. Youve fallen cold and dead. The "Critical Overview" section is particularly comprehensive, including excerpts from the work of several prominent critics. He has also personified shores in line 21 where it is stated, "Exult, O Shores!" Whitman Out Loud The first time was when Lincoln stopped in New York City in 1861 on his way to Washington. The people are waiting for them on the coast. When the speaker says that the anchored. Students should be able to cite a line from the poem and understand its literal meaning (as it pertains to the captain and his ship) and its figurative meaning (as it pertains to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War). "O Captain! Learn more{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; The poem pays tribute to the leader, calling him a captain which is also the main idea of the poem. "My Captain", "The Singer in the Prison" (1869), and "Ethiopia Saluting the Colors" (1871) are considered Whitman's most 'conventional' works. [40] The poem has imagery relating to the sea throughout. Repetition of consonant sounds /f/ in the phrase flag is flung and /s/ in the phrase safe and sound. [62] The Literary Digest in 1919 deemed it the "most likely to live forever" of Whitman's poems,[63] and the 1936 book American Life in Literature went further, describing it as the best American poem. My Captain! Yet, unfortunately, the "Captain" of this process lies on the "deck," dead, not able to enjoy the victory celebrations that are being enjoyed by others and the success of his efforts to bring America through the Civil War. It is some dream that on the deck, The poem was a part of his controversially famous collection of poems Leaves of Grass. | 1 [38] Whitman very rarely wrote poems that rhymed;[e] in a review contemporary to Whitman, The Atlantic suggested that Whitman was rising "above himself" by writing a poem unlike his others. My Captain!' [79] When John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, "O Captain! Imagery and metaphors of O Captain! My Captain! - Studienett.no Allusion is a reference to something that most readers will know about. O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman - Poem Analysis See in text(Text of the Poem). [39], The poem, which never mentions Lincoln by name, has frequently been invoked following the deaths of a head of state. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. In 'O Captain My Captain', Walt Whitman uses extended metaphor to illustrate Abraham Lincoln's admirable qualities while in 'Annabel Lee', Edgar Allan Poe is straightforward when talking about Annabel Lee, who symbolizes his wife; Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe that passed away 7 years before he wrote the poem. See in text(Text of the Poem). My Captain! The rack, or storm, signifies the Civil War between the Union and Confederacy which threatened to destroy the United States and tear it in two. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. rise up and hear the bells; Consonance: You will also observe the repetition of /g/ sound in the above-mentioned phrase. Figures of Speech: Figures of speech are when the word or phrase is used in a non-literal fashion to create a rhetorical effect.
